Philosophy, Theories, And Conspiracies

Dreaming Mind Theory

If you haven't heard of Quantum Immortality, it's a thought experiment based off of the idea of the many worlds theory, commonly known as the multiverse theory. For example, if you hold a gun to your head and pull the trigger, you will always experience a reality where the gun jams no matter how many times you pull the trigger because in the other reality, you would be unconscious. Basically, your consciousness would be transferred to a reality where you are still alive. This is a thought experiment, do not test it. DON'T. TEST. IT.

Anyway, with that quick and insufficient explanation out of the way, I have based a theory off of the Quantum Immortality thought experiment. I call it the Dreaming Mind theory. Essentially, it's the idea that you could be living a life that doesn't truly exist. Let me explain. The human mind is very complex, but one of the oldest and most important thoughts that every living thing has experienced at least once is the thought of self-preservation. The feeling that can force us to do anything to keep yourself alive. Now, I know what your thinking-"What about suicides?" Well, this theory is actually aimed at them...in a way. Let me rephrase that. Have you ever had a dream that feels like it has lasted a literal lifetime when in reality it has only been a few hours? The Dreaming Mind theory is the idea that the concept of self-preservation has been driven so far into the human mind over the centuries we have existed that the human mind seeks to preserve itself in anyone who is not elderly. When someone, for example, a teenager, is very close to death, their mind resets and creates an alternate reality where nothing else has happened. It's a new world, and they are thrust into the middle of it as a newborn with no memory of anything. In reality, they are dying, but in their reality, they are alive and aren't even the same person. They are completely different, but the same. The brain turns a lifetime into a few seconds in an attempt to preserve itself in this new world, and if the teenager dies at a young age in this new world, there is another reset, and another world is created in the confines of the human mind. Only is the cycle stopped when the teen finally lives a full life in this new world, which causes them to finally die in reality. This is why it feels like people have lived multiple lives-because they technically have. The multiverse could actually be this interlinking chain of mental realities. People who are insane and believe they are not who they actually are could be living in a state between these two extremes, with them responding to external stimuli in their mental state of reality. I could have been in a reality where the space race led to the colonization of the entire galaxy, and in turn, an entirely new technological revolution. However, my mental reality could be a reality where that never happened and instead a completely different revolution happened, leading to the creation of the internet, cell phones, virtual reality, and more. We can't tell what's real and what's not. However, if this theory makes you question reality, don't let it. There are worse things that could happen. If you do start to question reality, here is a suggestion. Even if this reality is a fabrication of the human mind, don't let that stop you from improving it. Just because it isn't real doesn't mean you can't improve it. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that it's real to you, so you should live it to the fullest. Thank you for reading.